Switching Roles | Crookshanks' Biography
by Fidelius
Summary: Sometimes the littlest charecters have the strangest pasts.....
1. Default Chapter Title

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Each life converges to some centre   
Expressed or still;   
Exists in every human nature   
A goal,   
Admitted scarcely to itself, it may be,   
Too fair   
For credibility's temerity   
To dare.  
-- Emily Dickinson 

_

**Author's Note:  
** This is my very first fan fiction story so don't expect much! Also, I am not saying this is REALLY what happened. I was just wandering about Crookshanks and thought it would be interesting if this is what had happened. If your confused, this is Crookshanks the cat telling his story. There WILL be a part two!  
  
I'm Crookshanks, the cat, and I'm sixty years old. Yes, sixty. Don't be surprised; magical cats live long. One who has full magical blood may live to be eighty.  
When I was young, just born, that idiotic son of the shopkeeper of the Magical Menagerie put me in a cage marked, "Poisonous cat. Warning: one scratch from his claws may kill you". And furthermore, he sold me to a sixteen year old boy!  
I was, of coarse, not poisonous, but I couldn't tell him that. So he took to his home. Home, however was a muggle orphanage. I was most unpleasantly surprised. But not for long.   
The boy, by the name of Tom Riddle, was a sixth year Slytherin at Hogwarts, the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once again I was surprised but this time happily, for Hogwarts was the best school. I found this out by riding in the backest compartment on the Hogwarts Express with all the other animals. Cats, rats, owls, and toads told me all about the feasts and the Quidditch matches and the school itself--where if your owner permits you, there are thousands of rooms to explore. It sounded a lot like paradise to me!  
And it was.......for a few months. Yes, the food was good and Tom was quite nice to me. But then something quite awful began happening. You see, there was this legend about the Chamber of Secrets. It was said that Salzar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts, built a secret chamber that no one else knew about. In it, they say, he put a horror to be used purify the school of those unworthy of studying magic. Only the heir of Slytherin himself could open it.  
Only a legend, they said, when students all over the school became petrified, frozen, as if dead. Only a legend, they said, when one student was killed. Who could be doing this? Everyone wondered. Everyone but me.  
And Tom wasn't the nice boy he seemed. Once I spent more time with him, I noticed there was something mean, even evil, about him. I really didn't suspect him truly evil, until one night. You see, Tom had this horrible weakness. He talked in his sleep. One might laugh, but it was quite serious. If he was particularly worried about something or had a big secret, he would talk about it in his sleep. You can see how this could be destructive. So Tom performed a simple spell, where anyone outside his bed could not hear him talk. Thus he could keep his secrets.  
Of coarse, I slept at the foot of his bed. And I could hear what he said. But usually I never really listened. I mean, I was usually asleep before him. But one night he said something particularly frightening.  
He talked all about the Chamber of Secrets, the topic of everyone's conversation. But Tom had a different story. He was the heir of Slytherin! He was the one who had set the monster on those poor muggleborns!  
From that night on, I listened most intently to what he said at night and when he was around his friends. Tom talked about becoming the greatest, most evil wizard the worlds had ever seen. He and his closest friends talked about have enormous powers and about changing his name. He took his name--Tom Marvolo Riddle--to something more evil--Lord Voldemort.  
The rest of Tom's sixth and seventh year went most peacefully. He was head boy and everyone except his intermost friends thought he was a nice, smart boy. We almost everyone-there was this teacher-Dumbledore who almost saw Tom for who he was. Not almost, did. I am positive. True, in the later years he was Tom's greatest enemy, but more about that later.  
  
When he graduated, Tom started another type of learning-learning the dark arts. He sank very deeply into the Dark Arts...consorted with the very worst of his kind....underwent so many dangerous, painful magical transformations, that when he resurfaced around fifteen years later as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. His skin had turned nearly chalk white and his eyes red, and......oh its scares me to even think of it.   
But what scared me most was when Voldemort started killing people. At first small groups and then more and more.....he was demonstrating his power. Around ten years later he had not only killed off most of his enemies but he was so feared by the wizards and witches they feared to even speak his name. They called him you-know-who or he-who-must-not-be-named. And I could see why. He killed so many.....telling me everything.  
Oh, how horrible it was for me. Voldemort say he was going to kill so-and-so and come back less than an hour, his evil deed accomplished. And I could do nothing! I couldn't talk, nor stop him. If I attacked him he would kill me and I was determined to stay alive because I knew someday I could help someone defeat him, I knew his weaknesses. He dare not kill me because he knew that someday I would come in handy. But there was something else I think, a bond, between us.  
But there was one, no two, deaths that affected me most greatly. Voldemort was very eager to get rid of this family, the Potters, but he wouldn't even tell me why. He was brooding over how could find them because you see, they had used the Fidelius charm which only one living sole knew where they were. The secret keeper.  
One day when Voldemort had sent aside an entire day to meet with his strongest follows to discuss the Potters. It was near dusk when there was a knock on the door. "It's me," murmured a voice I could barely hear.  
"Pettigrew!" Voldemort thundered,"Get in here. You said you had some big news!" In came Peter Pettigrew, one of Voldemort's more weaker followers. He was perhaps of twenty, and had been a spy for little under a year.  
"The Potters have made me their secret keeper," Pettigrew announced.  
"You?" They gasped and muttered, but Voldemort commanded silence.  
"Why would they make you their secret keeper?" He roared. Voldemort was very dramatic; he never talked, he always thundered or roared. He never walked, he always swept.   
"Sirius Black suggested it. I was one of James Potter's close friends." They spent an hour debating it. Had the Potters caught on, was this a trick, and so on? But in the end Voldemort flew from the room to Godric Hollow, his followers leaving to do whatever tasks he had assigned them.  
  
I never saw him again. Usually his killings only took an hour; he didn't come back all night. I knew something was wrong. I impatiently awaited The Daily Prophet because I knew it would have news. Voldemort had subscribed to it because he loved seeing his name in the paper, even if it was only you-know-who.  
When the news owl came, I looked at the front page. Usually the headlines read, You-know-who kills twenty or Another great wizard gone, you-know-who behind it. But today there was a different sort. It read You-know-who seems to have vanished without a trace! The article went on to say that he went to the Potters house and killed the parents, but he couldn't kill the child. Somehow his powers failed him and he lost everything including his form......  
I couldn't believe it. The most evil wizard defeated by a baby! His followers broke up, some saying they had been hypnotized, others landed in Azakban. I knew that what was left of his people would come here, to get some of his things before the Ministry came. So I raced out the door, leaving my role as Voldemort's cat finally.

**Disclaimer:  
All the characters, places and things named are property of JK Rowling. **


	2. Default Chapter Title

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Ungained, it may be, by a life's low venture,  
But then,   
Eternity enables the endeavoring   
Again.  
--Emily Dickinson 

_

**Authors Note:**  
Finally, Part Two! Took me a while to get done.......Crookshanks doesn't like talking about this you know. I'm sorry about towards the end. I had to cram three chapters worth into a couple of paragraphs. I figured you already knew the story. Also, MAGICAL CATS CAN READ. I really appreciate everyone who reviewed Part One! By the way, when book 4 comes out, I will continue this story if Crookshanks has a good part. I'm hoping to write more in the (hopefully near) future...maybe try a song fic or two...  
Ow....ok Crookshanks, I'll get on with the story.

I went back to the Magical Menagerie. It was the only place I could think of. Took me a while to get there. On the way I passed an area where a some maniac wizard had blown up half the street.  
I stayed at the Magical Menagerie for about 12 years, getting grumpier each year. I was angry with myself, you see, for not trying to stop Voldemort from killing all those people. I knew that it wouldn't have made a difference, if I had tried or not; he would have killed me, but I was still disgusted I hadn't. I swore revenge against Voldemort and his followers, for me and for the ones he had murdered.  
Nobody wanted me. I didn't blame them. I was a grumpy, evil-tempered, old cat. Every year I hope someone would buy me and no one did until........  
It was around late August, and all the students were buying their things for school. Two boys and a girl walked into the store. The boys went up to the counter but the girl looked around.  
I was perched on top of my cage when one of the boys, the red haired one, took a rat out of his pocket. Not a rat, I had a second thought, an Animagus. But what was a wizard doing being a pet?  
I leaned closer and stared and all of a sudden it came to me--Pettigrew! One of Voldemort's old followers. I never knew he was an Animagus. Well, no wonder he was hiding. I suspected some of Voldemort's old followers would have been quite upset with him. With sudden rage at this traitor I flew of my cage, hissing.  
"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" cried the witch, but Pettigrew had shot out of her hands and was scampering away.  
The red haired boy raced out of the shop toward his rat, with the other boy trailing him behind.  
As I was sitting there stewing, upset at myself for letting another chance at revenge go by, a girl came up behind me. The girl, in fact, that was with the two boys and Pettigrew.   
"Oh, what a gorgeous cat!" She exclaimed, "How much for him?"  
"S-six sickles," the witch stuttered. She was as surprised as I was that anyone would want me.   
"He's been here for ages."   
Well, thanks a lot.   
Ten minutes later I was leaving with the girl, not believing my luck. I had an owner and I was going to have lots of chances to get Pettigrew! 

From then on I found out a lot of things. The girl's name was Hermione, the red hair boy was Ron and was keeping Pettigrew, or Scabbers as he had called him, as pet. And I was going back to Hogwarts! I had mixed feelings about this, though. It would be wonderful to be back there, but it would bring back awful memories. And most surprising, the black haired boy was Harry Potter! The boy that had made my owner's powers break! _Former_ owner, I thought.   
Going to Hogwarts was most exciting. The lights went out and Dementors came. Dementors are guards for the wizard prisoner, Azkaban. It seemed that Siruis Black, the man who had killed thirteen people, was on the loose. I heard many people talking about him being Voldemort's most close servant. I knew better. His name had only been mentioned once at their personal meetings.  
Hogwarts was the best, again. Only a few things had changed. The teachers, of coarse. And the headmaster. Dippet was gone, in his place was Albus Dumbledore. I remebered him. Voldemort's only fear.   
And my owner was in Gryffindor, not that dreadful Slytherin. I found a cat or two for friends, but most of them were young senseless things. Which seems to explain why I liked to explore more. I knew that Ron wasn't going to leave Pettigrew anywhere alone, so I gave up that idea. _For the moment,_ I thought.   
One night I was wondering towards that violent tree, another new edition to Hogwarts. I think they called it the Whomping Willow, or some such. Suddenly I sensed something, and stopped. A dog........was my first thought. No. It wasn't a dog like Pettigrew wasn't a rat. I peered over at it. Cats have excellent night vision, you know. It was huge, and black. Another an Animagus, I supposed. How odd. I stared at him.   
He stared at me. Didn't bark or growl or even seem to care. Which supported my suspicions. Any other dog would have had a fit. Suddenly he raced into the tree. Into it's flinging branches! My mouth dropped open.   
He came back out as quick as anything. Staring at something, he was. The trunk of that willow. No, something towards the bottom......... A knot! I'd bet anything it would freeze the tree. The dog looked at me, pleaded with me.  
Why should I help him? I thought glaring. He could be some killer or something. But something held me back. I sensed that he wanted.....revenge. Like me. How odd. I turned and fled.   


But three nights later I saw him again. Slinking around that tree, trying not to be seen. Again I sensed a need for revenge.   
Only a week or two later I was stalking, not by the tree, but by the forest when I saw him. Not in his Animagus form, but human. At once I knew it was Siruis Black. I had seen his face in the newspapers. I almost turned and fled....then came a thought. If he was Voldemort's servant, and wanted revenge, then he had come for Harry Potter. It was most reasonable explanation I could think of. Once again, someone was going to kill someone and I could do nothing. Or could I? He was not a servant of Voldemort's......I would have known him. And he seemed different..... He stared at me. And tried to speak.  
His voice cracked. He turned back into the dog. He could communicate with me better that way.  
"I am not a dog."   
"I knew that." I answered with a flip of my tail. "I also know you are no servant of Voldemort's."   
The dog's eyes widened. He blinked several times in a row.   
"But what I want to know," I demanded, "is why you are here. You are Siruis Black and I would imagine the least place you'd want to be is where the Dementors are."   
He shuddered. "I am here for revenge." He replied. "I was punished for someone else's crime. And-"  
His eyes glittered, "and the same person was a traitor to my best friend......"  
I couldn't believe it. Was it possible he was after the same person I was?   
"Who is this person? Is he Animagus, too?"   
The dog nearly fell over in amazement. "It's not safe to talk hear. Some other animal could be listening. I know of a secret place." "The willow?"   
"Yes, It is guarding a secret passage way. We can talk there tomorrow night."   
"OK."   


So there it began. Our plan to seek revenge on Pettigrew. Yes, it was he who Siruis was after. We talked several times after that. Me knowing only half of his story, he knowing none of mine. I tried to bring Pettigrew to him many times but each failing miserably. That boy was set on keeping him! If he knew what he was........  
Sirius tried to go into Gryffindor tower on Halloween night but the portrait wouldn't let him in and he attacked it. I warned him more slips like this could get him caught.   
A few days before Christmas, Siruis had an unusual task for me. He had me take an order to the Owl Office in Hogsmeade. It was a broom, the best there was, for Harry Potter. His godson he explained. It turned out he had been best friends with James, Harry's father. If he knew I had been Voldemort's cat he wouldn't have trusted me. Nobody would have........  
It was later in the year when things took a surprising turn. I was laying in the common room with Hermione, who was studying as usual, when we heard a shriek in the boys' dormitory. The whole room was silent and stared as Ron came running, caring a bedsheet. "LOOK!" He yelled, flinging it onto Hermione's table. "SCABBERS!" We all stared at him. "HE'S GONE!"  
Everyone peered at the sheet. On it was something red. It looked a lot like-  
"BLOOD! AND LOOK WHAT I FOUND ON THE FLOOR!"  
He thrust out several ginger cat hairs, that look a lot like my fur! 

I was furious. And I was not the only one. Ron and Hermione were mad at each other and Sirius was mad at Pettigrew for trying to escape. I immediately told him what had happened. Pettigrew had took some of my fur, probably while I was sleeping, and bit himself. Sirius begged me to look for him. While I was, I discovered something, a piece of parchment, on it was written the week's passwords to Gryffindor tower. I gave them to Sirius so he could search for himself.  
Of coarse, he messed it up. He woke up Ron, and furthermore, brought a knife. I warned him again. But he wouldn't listen. Quick as you please, he was after that rat again.   
It was near the end of the year. Ron, Hermione, and Harry must have been under an invisibility cloak and had found Pettigrew because he fell out of thin air. I had sensed him and raced after him, with Ron on my tail. Sirius not far behind in the shadows.   
Ron caught him. But Sirius had waited too long. He jumped on Harry, then on Ron and dragged him into the Willow. Of coarse, Harry and Hermione followed. Sirius had knew this.   
Because Sirius had said, time after time, that revenge was not his only mission. He wanted Harry to know the truth.  
Sirius dragged Ron into the secret passage. The tree had broke Ron's leg.   
"Oh help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, "please...."  
I darted through the battering branches and placed my front paw on the knot. Making sure they were following me, I darted along the passage way.   
Soon we were in the Shrieking Shack. I ran upstairs, trying to find them. They were in one of the rooms, Ron lying on a bed, clutching his leg in pain.   
Moments later Harry and Hermione appeared in the doorway.   
"Where's the dog?" Harry asked.   
"He's the dog...he's an Animagus." Ron moaned. "It's a trap."   
With a snap, Sirius shut the door.   
"Exelliarmus!" He croaked pointed Ron's wand at them. The wands flew into his hands.  
Harry leaped at Sirius. A few moments' worth of choas-Harry attacking Sirius, they falling backwards, Hermione kicking them....  
Suddenly Harry had snatched his wand and was pointing it at Sirius. No! I thought. I wasn't going to sit by idle while another innocent person was killed. I jumped and stretched protectively on Sirius' chest. We stayed like that for a few minutes, silent. Then another sound was heard.   
"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly, "SIRIUS BLACK! QUICK!" Another man appeared. It was the teacher, Remus Lupin.   
"Where is he, Sirius?" He asked tensely.   
So began a story I mostly knew. With only a few interruptions. Like, when Sirius tried to get at Pettigrew before anyone knew anything, or when Severus Snape, another teacher appeared.   
We were nearly done in, but Harry, Hermione and Ron knocked him out. They were a little too eager in trying to disarm him.  
By the time the story had ended, Sirius demanded the rat. After a bit of convincing, and a promise not to hurt him if he was really a rat, Ron turned him over.   
They forced him to show himself. I admit, he looked nothing like what he had 13 years ago. He had lost a lot of weight and now looked more nervous than he ever had.  
Of coarse, Pettigrew begged and begged not to be killed but, of coarse, Sirius was set on it.  
After a bit more of the story, Lupin spoke.  
"You should have realized, if Voldemort hadn't of killed you, we would have. Good-bye Peter."   
"NO!" Harry yelled. He ran forward, placing himself in front of Pettigrew. You can't kill him."   
Why not? I wondered. He practicley killed your family. Sirius said exactly what I was thinking.   
"I know." Harry panted, "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors.....He can go to Azkaban....but don't kill him."   
"Harry!" Pettigrew gasped. "You-thank you-you think it's more than I deserve-"  
"I'm not doing this for you!" Harry said in disgust. "I'm doing it because I know my dad wouldn't have wanted them to become killers....just for you."   
Well, said, I thought. He was a lot more brave than I thought.  
"Your're the only one who has the right to decide, Harry."   
"He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated.  
"Two of us should be chained to him," said Sirius, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. "Just to make sure he doesn't try to get away." "I'll do it." Lupin said.   
"And me,"said Ron. He seemed to have taken Pettigrew's true identity as a personal insult.  
And so we went, making our way up to the castle. It was an odd group, I admit: Me, leading, followed by Pettigrew, Lupin, and Ron looking like entrants in a six legged contest, Snape, hovering weirdly, unconscious, Harry, Sirius, and Hermione at the back, deep in thought. I raced up to the top and touched the knot. Everyone else climbed out. As they did, the clouds they had counseled the moon, now moved. We were bathed in moonlight.   
Suddenly Lupin went rigid. His limbs shook. He's a werewolf, I remember suddenly.   
The next few minutes were utter chaos, again. Lupin transformed. So did Sirius. They fought. Pettigrew grabbed Lupin's wand and BANG, there was a burst of light and Ron lay motionless on the ground. I raced towards him and BANG, I flew up nto the air and knew no more.  


I woke up in time to see Snape, conscious, conjuring up stretchers for Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Sirius. No, I thought, knowing it was all over.   
Only moments later, I saw Harry and Hermione riding a--was that a hippogriff?--towards the West tower. Suddenly, another figure joined them. It was Sirius!   
As I watched Sirius fly off into the night, free, I wondered what I would say to Voldemort if I could talk to him now._ I know more about you than you think, Voldemort. Someday I will have revenge. For the Potters, for everyone you killed, and for me. _

**Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned above, ex. Harry, Crookshanks, Sirius, are property of JK Rowling. Same thing for the places, ex. Hogwarts, and things, ex. Whomping Willow. Most of the plot is also hers.**


End file.
